What the title of this post suggests correctly is that Megan is smart. Really, really smart. Megan received word this weekend that she passed the CDE exam a few weeks ago (with flying colors, I might add) and is now a Certified Diabetes Educator in addition to having the titles of Masters in Dietetic Administration, Registered Dietitian, and Licensed Dietitian.
Three cheers for Megan! Out of respect for her chosen profession, I am almost inclined to rid my life of Oreos, potato chips or any other fatty, unhealthy food item. Almost.
Congrats, Meg on yet another stellar accomplishment!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
May 2009
1. A 2 x 4 is the same as a 4 x 2. On a day we couldn't be outside, dad and I were working on the interior of the barn. We were in need of some 2 x 4's and dad sent me to the wood pile to get some. Having exhausted my supplies, dad said "Have you tried looking for some 4 x 2's?" In a rush, I asked "Will they work?" Dad trying to be serious said, "Maybe we should measure them."
2. Men named tools (probably because they made them, as well). It seems that more and more recently I have found myself looking for a pipe with a "male" or "female" end. Worse yet, these pipes have "nipples." Enough said, right? Couldn't we have taken the belly button approach: "innies vs. outies"?
3. Lavell no longer fits under the bed. First, I wake up in the middle of the night to this horrible sound sounding like Lavell had puked under the bed. It turns out he hadn't, but the sound I heard must have been the bed boards straining as he wedged himself in. Next, when I returned home the other day, Lavell did not come running in his normal joyous way. I searched and searched and started to get worried until I heard some whimpering from our bedroom. Sure enough, Lavell had wedged himself under the bed. Finally, I again woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of Lavell whimmpering. He had fallen asleep with his dog tag daggling down into the heat vent. At some point he must have moved and lifted the whole vent out of the floor. Trying to remove said vent, he forced his head under the bed where he became immobilized--hence the whimmpering. I was terrified when I first saw him in the dark, but the situation was soon remedied.
4. Building/remodling, etc. must be like having a baby. My mom always said that when you have a baby, it is painful enough you are not sure you will ever do it again, but then time wears on and you forget the pain and do it again. As I have been outside working I have promised that we will never add onto the house or change ANYTHING that will require us to dig up sprinklers or move our hard work. I'm sure at some future time I too will forget and "endure" yet again.
We had to do something with all of the lava rock, so we started building our own retaining wall for the step down to the fire-pit area.
We also used some of the small rocks to create a border around the lilac bushes. We are working on getting grass to come up in the dirt area, but mostly it is just weeds. 
These are the new maple trees as well as our new planter on the south side of the house with burning bushes in it. Again, using the railroad ties to our advantage. Still hoping for grass in that dirt area. 
This is the fire pit dad was so excited about--and for good reason. Due to his connections at a local steel plan he was able to use their new "toy" to lazer in all of our family's brands. The "T hanging J" is the brand of the farm where we now live (Brian's mom's family). The "Circle P" is the brand of my Dad's parents family, and "7N" is Brian's dad's family, and the "Rockin IH"is from my mom's side of the family. The old wheel around the top was in the garden here. From the way it was created, we estimate it to be about 100 years old. The rest of the pit will rust the same way.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
April 2009
1. I finally learned why my dad refers to many tools as SOB's....it's called a 2 foot walk behind trencher. I hate that thing (loathe, despise, abhor, detest, or otherwise can't stand). There really is no other explanation unless you have used one. But as my dad says, the only silver lining is that it is better than digging trenches with a shovel. I wasn't able to move for a couple of days, but I did grow some muscles in a short time period.
2. Picking rock is like picking a scab, somewhat painful, yet strangely satisfying. We've been picking lots of rocks out of our yard. When life throws you rocks--makes a rock wall!
3. How do you cut railroad ties? "With somebody else's chainsaw."--Brent Richardson When I asked "No really, how are we going to cut the railroad ties?" He replied, "I said, with someone else's chain saw--your dad's."
4. Blessings can be disguised. Dad nicked the vent pipe on the septic take with the Bobcat (aka bob or robert kitty). After examining the mistake, we realized the pipe was full of sewage--Problem #1. They came to pump the tank and realized the tank was made of cinder blocks and had roots infiltrating the take and drain field--Problem #2. Long story short, we ended up with a new septic tank--yea! And we won't have to worrry about digging up our yard, or newly installed sprinklers because the new septic tanks are so much cooler than the old. The least exciting $6,000 I may ever spend.
5. The "dirtiness" of a day can be gauged by what I like to call the Q-tip factor. My record is 8 Q-tips to get the mud out of my ears after taking a shower. Other days averaged between 4-6. You can see my 8 Q-tip day in the pictures attached--and yes that is dirt in my dad's mouth.
6. The triggers on the handles of Bob are not intended to release a hidden missle, but to run hydrolics, which we hope to use the coming month with a rented jackhammer attachement. Bob is so much more fun to drive than a backhoe--thanks Brad! Every girl needs a bobcat.
7. Never dig without calling someone to mark the lines--I mean, we're not stupid, we knew where the gas and power lines were, however we cut the phone line...twice.
We are otherwise doing well. Brian is sworn into the Bar on Thursday right after I take the Certified Diabetes Educator exam--which are both in Boise, so we lucked out. Lavell continues to be the cutest and most spoiled dog around after battling some health struggles this month. Lavell and Collie still torment each other. And we are still plotting renovations to the house which will officially begin July 5.
2. Picking rock is like picking a scab, somewhat painful, yet strangely satisfying. We've been picking lots of rocks out of our yard. When life throws you rocks--makes a rock wall!
3. How do you cut railroad ties? "With somebody else's chainsaw."--Brent Richardson When I asked "No really, how are we going to cut the railroad ties?" He replied, "I said, with someone else's chain saw--your dad's."
4. Blessings can be disguised. Dad nicked the vent pipe on the septic take with the Bobcat (aka bob or robert kitty). After examining the mistake, we realized the pipe was full of sewage--Problem #1. They came to pump the tank and realized the tank was made of cinder blocks and had roots infiltrating the take and drain field--Problem #2. Long story short, we ended up with a new septic tank--yea! And we won't have to worrry about digging up our yard, or newly installed sprinklers because the new septic tanks are so much cooler than the old. The least exciting $6,000 I may ever spend.
5. The "dirtiness" of a day can be gauged by what I like to call the Q-tip factor. My record is 8 Q-tips to get the mud out of my ears after taking a shower. Other days averaged between 4-6. You can see my 8 Q-tip day in the pictures attached--and yes that is dirt in my dad's mouth.
6. The triggers on the handles of Bob are not intended to release a hidden missle, but to run hydrolics, which we hope to use the coming month with a rented jackhammer attachement. Bob is so much more fun to drive than a backhoe--thanks Brad! Every girl needs a bobcat.
7. Never dig without calling someone to mark the lines--I mean, we're not stupid, we knew where the gas and power lines were, however we cut the phone line...twice.
We are otherwise doing well. Brian is sworn into the Bar on Thursday right after I take the Certified Diabetes Educator exam--which are both in Boise, so we lucked out. Lavell continues to be the cutest and most spoiled dog around after battling some health struggles this month. Lavell and Collie still torment each other. And we are still plotting renovations to the house which will officially begin July 5.
February-March 2009
You can tell from my slacker nature that things have been a little slow on the farm. Only 2 weeks ago did we resume work on the barn since our holiday/winter break and as always, there are new lessons to be learned.
1) It is possible for someone to tell you to "screw up the wall," but expect you to do it right......I know, it's a knee slapper. We finished paneling the walls of the barn with OSB. OSB is the yellowish wood you generally see building being build out of before the exterior is put on. It takes lots of screws to secure it to the stud...which brings me to #2.
2) A screw is not just a screw. There are all sorts of screws and they are not all equal. For 80% of the barn we used star-headed screws with a self-driving tip. Nice. Special screws my dad buys in Ogden. Well, we ran out the these screws and had to use Phillips head screws (because no one in twin falls has the other "special" screws. Let me tell you--big difference!! While dad cursed at them, I decided to make up my own song entitled "I hate these screws." So, if any of you are going to be paneling in the near future (especilly very large multiple story buildings)--Star-headed screws!
3) Dogs catch mice. Dogs play with mice. Dogs bury mice. Dogs digs them back up again to play with said mice. Dogs eat mice. Yuck! It's hard to imagine my puppy that runs into walls when he walks because he is not looking forward, is capable of catching mice--but he must. He plays with mice like a cat! Should I be worried--does anyone else have a dog with this cat like behavior? I think he and Collie are secretly having a competition.
4) Cats are smarter than dogs. I know, I know, this may ruffle the feathers of you dog lovers, but the evidence is indisputable. I'm not even a huge fan of cats, but Collie knows what's going on. Lavell will chase Collie into a bush--cornered, right? Wrong. Collie will run out the other side of the bush while Lavell waits for her to reveal herself again. All the while, she will sit on the driveway sunning herself while he still searches! Sure she can't sit, lie down, roll over, etc. on demand, but that's just it--she's too smart to take orders! She goes to the bathroom in the same spot everytime with minimal clean-up instead of taking a dump (forgive the expression, I figured it was one of the better options) in the middle of the nice wood floor in the loft of the barn. She can fend for herself and avoid standing in the road waiting for a car to hit her. Anyhow, just an observation. I have to add that Lavell is still the best puppy in the world, and although his bathroom behaviors are confused in the barn, he does a wonderful job in the house and continues to learn new tricks.
On a more serious note, we've learned one lesson this year for the third time. Between Brian and I, we have lost 3 Grandpa's in less than a year. Our families will deeply miss their presence, example and love. That being said, one lesson I have learned is that I know I will get to give my grandpa's a giant hug again someday. I am so grateful for the knowledge of where I came from, why I am here, and where I am going. I don't know how I would handle death like this if I did not know that family relationships can continue beyond the grave.
1) It is possible for someone to tell you to "screw up the wall," but expect you to do it right......I know, it's a knee slapper. We finished paneling the walls of the barn with OSB. OSB is the yellowish wood you generally see building being build out of before the exterior is put on. It takes lots of screws to secure it to the stud...which brings me to #2.
2) A screw is not just a screw. There are all sorts of screws and they are not all equal. For 80% of the barn we used star-headed screws with a self-driving tip. Nice. Special screws my dad buys in Ogden. Well, we ran out the these screws and had to use Phillips head screws (because no one in twin falls has the other "special" screws. Let me tell you--big difference!! While dad cursed at them, I decided to make up my own song entitled "I hate these screws." So, if any of you are going to be paneling in the near future (especilly very large multiple story buildings)--Star-headed screws!
3) Dogs catch mice. Dogs play with mice. Dogs bury mice. Dogs digs them back up again to play with said mice. Dogs eat mice. Yuck! It's hard to imagine my puppy that runs into walls when he walks because he is not looking forward, is capable of catching mice--but he must. He plays with mice like a cat! Should I be worried--does anyone else have a dog with this cat like behavior? I think he and Collie are secretly having a competition.
4) Cats are smarter than dogs. I know, I know, this may ruffle the feathers of you dog lovers, but the evidence is indisputable. I'm not even a huge fan of cats, but Collie knows what's going on. Lavell will chase Collie into a bush--cornered, right? Wrong. Collie will run out the other side of the bush while Lavell waits for her to reveal herself again. All the while, she will sit on the driveway sunning herself while he still searches! Sure she can't sit, lie down, roll over, etc. on demand, but that's just it--she's too smart to take orders! She goes to the bathroom in the same spot everytime with minimal clean-up instead of taking a dump (forgive the expression, I figured it was one of the better options) in the middle of the nice wood floor in the loft of the barn. She can fend for herself and avoid standing in the road waiting for a car to hit her. Anyhow, just an observation. I have to add that Lavell is still the best puppy in the world, and although his bathroom behaviors are confused in the barn, he does a wonderful job in the house and continues to learn new tricks.
On a more serious note, we've learned one lesson this year for the third time. Between Brian and I, we have lost 3 Grandpa's in less than a year. Our families will deeply miss their presence, example and love. That being said, one lesson I have learned is that I know I will get to give my grandpa's a giant hug again someday. I am so grateful for the knowledge of where I came from, why I am here, and where I am going. I don't know how I would handle death like this if I did not know that family relationships can continue beyond the grave.
December-January 2009
This past month has brought all sorts of craziness to the farm. Since I have known Brian he has always dreamed of having a golden retriever named Lavell (For all you non-BYU football fans, Lavell Edwards is a historical figure in BYU football history). Well, one week before Christmas Brian learned that some of our friends down here had a litter of puppies they were having difficulty getting rid of, and he took this as a sign that it was meant to be, despite considerable skepticism from his wife.
Here are some of Lavell's recent lessons:
1. Peeing inside--makes Megan angry, Peeing outside makes everyone happy.
2. Chewing up carpet--makes Megan Angry, chewing on "lil buddy" makes everyone happy.
3. Taking socks from the laundry basket--makes Megan angry and waps me on the nose. Running from Megan with said sock in the mouth makes her even angrier. I drop them immediately for Brian--his wap is harder.
4. Biting (nipping at, actually) the hand that feeds you--again, another wap on the nose, lying down and chewing my bone peacefully--good.
5. No matter how hard I try I'll never be able to catch that tail--it just keeps getting away from me.
6. Nothing is scarier than that monster from the closet (the vacumm cleaner)--I hide under the bed.
7. Barking to get Megan's attention when she is working scares her, it is hillarious, but it makes her very angry.
Here are some of Lavell's recent lessons:
1. Peeing inside--makes Megan angry, Peeing outside makes everyone happy.
2. Chewing up carpet--makes Megan Angry, chewing on "lil buddy" makes everyone happy.
3. Taking socks from the laundry basket--makes Megan angry and waps me on the nose. Running from Megan with said sock in the mouth makes her even angrier. I drop them immediately for Brian--his wap is harder.
4. Biting (nipping at, actually) the hand that feeds you--again, another wap on the nose, lying down and chewing my bone peacefully--good.
5. No matter how hard I try I'll never be able to catch that tail--it just keeps getting away from me.
6. Nothing is scarier than that monster from the closet (the vacumm cleaner)--I hide under the bed.
7. Barking to get Megan's attention when she is working scares her, it is hillarious, but it makes her very angry.
November 2008
1. "I'm glad I did it, partly because it was worth it, but mostly because I shall never have to do it again." --Mark Twain. I never knew how intelligent this man was.
2. Murphy's law is still alive and doing well. One week ago I turned on my computer to a black screen. I reinstalled the operating system as instructed by the words on the black screen, but to no avail. After I realized I had emailed my up to date thesis to my committee, my heart started beating again. Then I thought of all the data I had input into a variety of spreadsheets and the publishing work I had done for my work over the past two months and my heart started to slow down again.
I took it to a Dell customer service center--no, not one for people like us, one that is for corporations. The lone security guard looked somewhat confused as I walked in. I pleaded my situation and he generously grabbed a technician for me who spent 30 minutes playing with my computer before determining the hard drive had crashed...dead...not ressurectable...kicked the bucket...you name it. He politely asked if I had any thoughts as to why this might have happened. I replied "because I am defending my thesis on Monday?" He laughed. So Best Buy said they recovered all the documents off of it. Took it home, and the only two folders that didn't transfer were "thesis" and "work docs." Nice. I love Murphy.
My committee was more than accommodating stating they would not make me rebuild all my data. But I still want all of that work!! I had to leave for Utah, but I haven't given up hope on taking it back to best buy and having them try again. Needless to say, we bought a desktop.
3. Nothing says Christmas like "Please Daddy don't get drunk this Christmas" and "Christmas for Cowboys" by John Denver.
4. Never trust a quoted price--why quote it anyhow? Maybe I need to learn how to do my own cement.
2. Murphy's law is still alive and doing well. One week ago I turned on my computer to a black screen. I reinstalled the operating system as instructed by the words on the black screen, but to no avail. After I realized I had emailed my up to date thesis to my committee, my heart started beating again. Then I thought of all the data I had input into a variety of spreadsheets and the publishing work I had done for my work over the past two months and my heart started to slow down again.
I took it to a Dell customer service center--no, not one for people like us, one that is for corporations. The lone security guard looked somewhat confused as I walked in. I pleaded my situation and he generously grabbed a technician for me who spent 30 minutes playing with my computer before determining the hard drive had crashed...dead...not ressurectable...kicked the bucket...you name it. He politely asked if I had any thoughts as to why this might have happened. I replied "because I am defending my thesis on Monday?" He laughed. So Best Buy said they recovered all the documents off of it. Took it home, and the only two folders that didn't transfer were "thesis" and "work docs." Nice. I love Murphy.
My committee was more than accommodating stating they would not make me rebuild all my data. But I still want all of that work!! I had to leave for Utah, but I haven't given up hope on taking it back to best buy and having them try again. Needless to say, we bought a desktop.
3. Nothing says Christmas like "Please Daddy don't get drunk this Christmas" and "Christmas for Cowboys" by John Denver.
4. Never trust a quoted price--why quote it anyhow? Maybe I need to learn how to do my own cement.
October 2008
1. Flies (bugs in general) like latex paint. Who knew! We've spent all sorts of money on fly traps, and all we need to do is paint a wall, that we don't want them on, and they'll drop like...well...flies. Don't look too closely at the barn. You will see legs and wings and even some decapitated bugs. Most were removed as we painted and I think some even got away alive with some red legs I asked my mom if she felt a dedicatory monument to "all the bugs that died in the painting of this barn" would be appropriate. We are still taking suggestions.
2. "Serious Injury or Death may occur in the use of this product. Consult your boss as to prior training before use." Not exactly what you want to read as you climb four stories of scaffolding dozens of times a day. And who's my boss? Dad? I didn't receive any prior training...is there something I should know?
3. When in doubt, choose to spray. Mom and I spent days painting the shorter north and south sides of the barn. Dad spent half a day painting the entire east side shown. The product specifications said it would need to be rolled even if it was sprayed, but we liked the way it looked with two coats of a spray finish. So if it all falls off next spring...I blame Dad.
4. Have your pets spayed or neutered...is a good motto, unless of course your pet has already been neutered. Teo took a trip to the vet to get fixed, however they called a few hours later saying she already had stitches down there and could be quite certain that she had already had the surgery. The origination of our nice, beautiful cat continues to be a mystery. Our kitten Collie caught her first mouse this past week.
As for other events, the Diabetes Education Program I've been helping develop has it's official open house this week. I continue to try to write on my thesis so I can make my December 1 deadline. Brian works very hard all day, comes home and changes, then comes out and works on the barn until dark. He tries to catch a BYU game when he can. We plan to have the entire exterior of the barn completed by the end of next week--keeping our fingers crossed!
2. "Serious Injury or Death may occur in the use of this product. Consult your boss as to prior training before use." Not exactly what you want to read as you climb four stories of scaffolding dozens of times a day. And who's my boss? Dad? I didn't receive any prior training...is there something I should know?
3. When in doubt, choose to spray. Mom and I spent days painting the shorter north and south sides of the barn. Dad spent half a day painting the entire east side shown. The product specifications said it would need to be rolled even if it was sprayed, but we liked the way it looked with two coats of a spray finish. So if it all falls off next spring...I blame Dad.
4. Have your pets spayed or neutered...is a good motto, unless of course your pet has already been neutered. Teo took a trip to the vet to get fixed, however they called a few hours later saying she already had stitches down there and could be quite certain that she had already had the surgery. The origination of our nice, beautiful cat continues to be a mystery. Our kitten Collie caught her first mouse this past week.
As for other events, the Diabetes Education Program I've been helping develop has it's official open house this week. I continue to try to write on my thesis so I can make my December 1 deadline. Brian works very hard all day, comes home and changes, then comes out and works on the barn until dark. He tries to catch a BYU game when he can. We plan to have the entire exterior of the barn completed by the end of next week--keeping our fingers crossed!
September 2008
1. When atop a three story building, always tie a mountain climbing rope around your waste. This rope may come in handy if a poorly secured ladder falls out from underneath you. Which leads to me number 2...
2. Falling with a rope on does not hurt...but the sharp jerk at the end can be painful.
3. Lifting steel does a body good. I have lifted approximately 104 pieces of 18 ft by 18 inch steel and have grown muscles I never knew existed, but that forest green roof sure looks pretty good.
4. Crop dusters are insane!! Watch the attached video. These guys risk life and limb to secure the food we eat. This guy narrowly missed the top of the barn and just skims over the electrical poles.
5. 1 cute kitten + 1 large sweet cat = disaster. Keeping our word to take one of my in-law kitten has brought new excitement to our lives. Kinda like having a baby--but entirely different. Te'o has not taken to the new kittie, Collie. The new kittie has cried for the past 48 hour the majority of the time. Every time Te'o greets Collie, it is generally with a hiss and growl--two sounds I have never heard from Te'o previously. We are trusting a good ole' google search that things will get better soon.
6. Performance appraisal is not the management tool most companies claim it is, but rather, outdated dross. I know, boring. This was the subject of my recent presentation at Utah State University. One more to go--Thesis Defense and December graduation or bust!
Life is good on the farm. I don't know how to compare all the beautiful sunsets.
2. Falling with a rope on does not hurt...but the sharp jerk at the end can be painful.
3. Lifting steel does a body good. I have lifted approximately 104 pieces of 18 ft by 18 inch steel and have grown muscles I never knew existed, but that forest green roof sure looks pretty good.
4. Crop dusters are insane!! Watch the attached video. These guys risk life and limb to secure the food we eat. This guy narrowly missed the top of the barn and just skims over the electrical poles.
5. 1 cute kitten + 1 large sweet cat = disaster. Keeping our word to take one of my in-law kitten has brought new excitement to our lives. Kinda like having a baby--but entirely different. Te'o has not taken to the new kittie, Collie. The new kittie has cried for the past 48 hour the majority of the time. Every time Te'o greets Collie, it is generally with a hiss and growl--two sounds I have never heard from Te'o previously. We are trusting a good ole' google search that things will get better soon.
6. Performance appraisal is not the management tool most companies claim it is, but rather, outdated dross. I know, boring. This was the subject of my recent presentation at Utah State University. One more to go--Thesis Defense and December graduation or bust!
Life is good on the farm. I don't know how to compare all the beautiful sunsets.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
August 2008
1. Budget is slightly better than Uhaul. After overheating twice before getting 1 hour away from Moscow, we detached the car and had no further problems. Brian was cautious however and drove most of the way with the heat on to avoid any problems. The poor guy melted the entire way. The cost was much less than Uhaul, and they were very nice to work with.
2. Green is not Green. My parent drove two trailers up from Utah carrying the metal roofing for the barn. The company who made the roofing had some left over forest green that my dad was able to get for a good deal, but they had to make the rest. Once we uncovered the roofing we determined classic green is different than forest green, but only slightly. Much to our dismay the roofing needed to be returned for the correct green.
3. 1 for 4 is failing. The garage door, shown in a picture below, arrived soon after my parents did from Utah to be installed. Once the panels were out of the box we learned that the doors were 1) the wrong color, 2) the wrong style, 3) the wrong glass, BUT it was the right size. The guys installed the system anyhow so we could close off the garage. Hopefully the correct door will arrive in a few weeks.
4. A wing nut is not just a crazy person. It turns out a wing nut is an object and not a person. For the better part of a week I have been crawling around pulling wires (part of which are pictured), then ripping them open and connecting the smaller wires inside to create current that will turn lights on and make plugs work (electrical work I am still trying to understand). Well, a wing nut twists over two wires to connect the current.
5. Ladders should not be adjusted from the top. When climbing down from the roof I noticed that the ladder's foot was not the right direction. Although this proved not to be life-threatening when I climbed it, I felt it necessary to adjust the ladder from the roof (bad ideal #1). This ladder is one of those extending ladders where little claws catch to put it higher or allow it to compact. Well after adjusting the ladder and assuming it was secure because it had not dropped (bad idea #2), I put my hand on the top rung to begin my decent, only to have the ladder drop out from underneath me. I managed to hold onto the ladder as my arm slid along the side of the roof. This enormous bruise from the original raspberry combined with black and blue legs from balancing on two by fours while pulling wires, a swollen mosquito (spider?) bite under my eye which without make-up gives the appearance of a half-healed black eye, and small cuts up arms from vicious lilac bushes makes Brian hesitant to go into public with me for fear of being taken in for questioning.
6. Cats are functional and cute. I have never been a cat person. It turns out on a farm, cats are important to catch mice. This cute cat showed up when we did (the welcoming committee?). It has caught, no kidding, four mice a day or more. It meows real load when it gets a catch, waits for praise, then continues to gulp the mouse down. I haven't fed it, or given it water, but it seems to be doing great. It has even started to grow on me. It just so happens to be really cute--even my dad likes it, which is saying a lot.
I have a few leads on job opportunities, including a lunch meeting this week for a office in Shoshone. I think I am adjusting well. It is very quiet and super dark at night--no more arby's lighting up my living room at night. Any fun stories would be appreciated. Stay tuned for more farm lessons:)
2. Green is not Green. My parent drove two trailers up from Utah carrying the metal roofing for the barn. The company who made the roofing had some left over forest green that my dad was able to get for a good deal, but they had to make the rest. Once we uncovered the roofing we determined classic green is different than forest green, but only slightly. Much to our dismay the roofing needed to be returned for the correct green.
3. 1 for 4 is failing. The garage door, shown in a picture below, arrived soon after my parents did from Utah to be installed. Once the panels were out of the box we learned that the doors were 1) the wrong color, 2) the wrong style, 3) the wrong glass, BUT it was the right size. The guys installed the system anyhow so we could close off the garage. Hopefully the correct door will arrive in a few weeks.
4. A wing nut is not just a crazy person. It turns out a wing nut is an object and not a person. For the better part of a week I have been crawling around pulling wires (part of which are pictured), then ripping them open and connecting the smaller wires inside to create current that will turn lights on and make plugs work (electrical work I am still trying to understand). Well, a wing nut twists over two wires to connect the current.
5. Ladders should not be adjusted from the top. When climbing down from the roof I noticed that the ladder's foot was not the right direction. Although this proved not to be life-threatening when I climbed it, I felt it necessary to adjust the ladder from the roof (bad ideal #1). This ladder is one of those extending ladders where little claws catch to put it higher or allow it to compact. Well after adjusting the ladder and assuming it was secure because it had not dropped (bad idea #2), I put my hand on the top rung to begin my decent, only to have the ladder drop out from underneath me. I managed to hold onto the ladder as my arm slid along the side of the roof. This enormous bruise from the original raspberry combined with black and blue legs from balancing on two by fours while pulling wires, a swollen mosquito (spider?) bite under my eye which without make-up gives the appearance of a half-healed black eye, and small cuts up arms from vicious lilac bushes makes Brian hesitant to go into public with me for fear of being taken in for questioning.
6. Cats are functional and cute. I have never been a cat person. It turns out on a farm, cats are important to catch mice. This cute cat showed up when we did (the welcoming committee?). It has caught, no kidding, four mice a day or more. It meows real load when it gets a catch, waits for praise, then continues to gulp the mouse down. I haven't fed it, or given it water, but it seems to be doing great. It has even started to grow on me. It just so happens to be really cute--even my dad likes it, which is saying a lot.
I have a few leads on job opportunities, including a lunch meeting this week for a office in Shoshone. I think I am adjusting well. It is very quiet and super dark at night--no more arby's lighting up my living room at night. Any fun stories would be appreciated. Stay tuned for more farm lessons:)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
